Shocco Springs has a fully operational laundry facility once again, following a fire near the end of last year’s summer season that destroyed the former building.
The new laundry facility is “fully functional and up and running,” said Julio Gonzalez, lodging services director at Shocco. “I am excited to return to a sense of normalcy. I honestly think we didn’t fully appreciate what we had until it was gone. I’m excited about the changes we were able to make to the building and hope our staff will enjoy the updates.”
An Aug. 1 fire destroyed Shocco’s laundry facility, including washers, dryers, office equipment and all the bedding and linens stored in the building. The only linens left were those in the rooms on campus, so Shocco staff began a frantic search to quickly purchase new bedding, towels and other supplies in order to accommodate guests during their busy fall season.
Improved work areas
A temporary laundry facility was set up in the Ricker Worship Center and some laundry was outsourced, though not at any convenience to Shocco staff, Gonzalez said.
“It was difficult to find a company capable of handling the extremely high laundry volume that flows through Shocco,” he said. “Our staff stayed busy hauling huge carts of laundry to and from three different outside sources. This was an expensive and time-consuming process.”
The new building includes four new industrial washers and dryers; an enlarged work area with improved folding spaces, inventory storage and shelving; and a kitchenette in the employee break room.
Looking back at the past seven months since the fire, housekeeping supervisor Exari Garcia said coping with the loss of the laundry facility was a learning experience.
“This process has definitely taught me patience,” Garcia said. “Our laundry staff had to work together more as a team to come up with ideas on how to be resourceful.”
On behalf of the Shocco staff, public relations coordinator Laurie Mullinax expressed gratitude to Alabama Baptists for their prayers and support during the rebuilding process and to community partner Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind for help with outsourcing laundry, which she called “a blessing.”
“The staff of Shocco Springs gives God the glory for what He continues to do through the ministry of Shocco Springs,” Mullinax said.
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